Network sharing means multiple network operators share network resources so as to reduce the network construction cost and enable faster network service deployment.
In a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing, as a solution of network sharing, allows multiple operators to share physical equipment such as sites, NodeBs and Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) and share Iub transport resources while the operators have independent frequency bands and core networks.
For the multiple operators, although NodeBs and RNCs and other physical equipment are shared, their cells are independent. In the prior art, multiple cells share logical resources and cells of different operators contend for logical resources freely. Then, the consumption of logical resources by cells and operators is measured and the operators negotiate their benefits according to the measurement.
The inventor finds the following weakness in the prior art: because different operators contend for logical resources freely, the apportionment rates of initial network construction costs and later expansion expenses are hard to determine and it is hard for an operator to expand its network capacity independently.